Vocabulary

!

&

%

Use % when dealing with numerals. Use "percent" when the numbers are written out.
Example: 5%. 10%. The stock is up five percent on the month.

24/7

Not 24x7

24/7/365

32 bit, 64 bit

No hyphens

affect

Verb, to influence
Effect - verb, to cause; noun, result

a lot

Two words

among

Among introduces more than two items, between introduces two items.

Example: The funds were divided among Ford, Carter, and McCarthy.

anti-spam

anti-malware

Hyphenated

antivirus

One word. Do not use AV as an abbreviation.

apps

appliance

Sophos appliances (but Sophos Email Appliance/Sophos Web Appliance)

auto-update

back end

Example:
The new back end is great.

back-end

Example:
The back-end processor is powerful.

-based

Example:
PC-based

BlackBerry, BlackBerrys

Not BlackBerries or Blackberry

Blackhat

blacklist

Use in preference to block list.

cellphone

co-branded

complimentary

A compliment, with an i, is a kind or flattering remark. If a friend says he likes your new shoes, he’s giving you a compliment.

Example:
The CEO complimented the staff on their efforts. He made complimentary remarks about their recent work.

complementary

A complement, with an e, is a full crew or a set, and when something complements something else, it means they go well together. You might talk about a picture frame that complements a photo or the crew complement needed to operate a ship.

Example:
Enjoy the complementary drinks.

Sophos Clean complements Sophos Endpoint Protection.

coordinate

cybercrime

cybercriminal

cybersecurity

day zero

Use zero day (no caps, hyphen if adjective); do not use 0-day.

data center

Two words

data loss

Not data leakage

datasheet

One word

DDoS

desk aid

Two words

dial-up

Distributed denial-of-service attack

DOS

double-click

dropdown

ecard

No hyphen or caps

ecommerce

effect

See affect

e.g.

Write e.g. in lowercase and follow it with a comma. When giving an example, use e.g.
Use i.e. if you need to give further explanation (i.e., to explain a point you’ve made already in more depth).

email

One word, no hyphen

end user

Noun

end-user

Adjective

endpoint

Enterprise Manager

Not EM

etc.

Write in lowercase and always follow it with a period

Example:
Serial, parallel, USB, IEEE 1394, etc.

every day

Not everyday, unless as an adjective

Example:
Everyday occurrences happen every day.

Facebook

Capitalize

failover

fake antivirus

Not Fake AV, not fake anti-virus

false negative

false positive

farther

Use farther to talk about distance, and use further to talk about time or amount.

Example:
Paris is farther north than Barcelona. (Distance)
This year, we’re further along in the development cycle. (Time)

fewer

Use less when you’re talking about things you can’t count individually; use fewer with objects you can count one-by-one.

Example:
There were fewer attacks this month.
There was less activity in the first half of the year.

filename

focused, focusing

One ‘s’

four-color process

Not 4-color process

full-strength

If preceding a noun

further

See farther

front end

Noun

front-end

Adjective

Example:
front-end interface

FTP

genotype

healthcare

help desk

Use as two words

Example:
Call the help desk for further information.

home page

HTTP

IDE

IP

IT

Not I.T.

i.e.

Use it if you need to give further explanation (i.e., to explain a point you’ve made already in more depth). Write i.e. in lowercase and follow it with a comma. To give an example, use e.g. instead.

inbox

InterCheck technology

internet

No capitalization

intranet

kernel-mode

Adjective

keyword

knowledgebase

One word

Example:
Sophos support knowledgebase

left-hand

Adjective; not left hand

less

See fewer

licence

Noun (U.K./AU)

license

Verb (U.K./AU); noun and verb (U.S.)

licensee

All countries

licensing

All countries

Linux

Ltd./ Inc.

Use abbreviation always. Don’t use Limited.

Example:
Sophos Ltd.

Mac/Macintosh

Not MAC

Mac OS X

Not OSX

macro

message box

mid-size business

Use mid-size business, not medium-sized business

more than

Use “more than” to discuss numbers, never “over”

NetWare

next-gen firewall

Hyphenate “next-gen” when followed by a noun

ongoing

online

Not on-line

onsite

OpenVMS

OS/2

outbox

Outlook

Outlook Express

Partner

Example:
Sophos Partner
Our partners (no capitalization when not using Sophos before partner)

PC

PDF

peer-to-peer

Plc

For Sophos; most other companies use plc or PLC - use their preference

plugin

popup

Use as one word

Example:
A popup window opens

practice

Noun in U.K.; noun and verb in U.S.

practise

Verb in U.K.

predefine

pre-empt

proactive

pull-down

Noun and adjective

PureMessage

real-time

Adjective; otherwise real time

Example:
A real-time transaction. He updated it in real time.

re-enter

registry

removable

re-read

right-hand

Adjective; not right hand

rollout

scalable

screensaver

smartphone

smartcard

Sophos Antivirus

Not Sophos Anti-Virus or SAV

SPARC

Not Sparc

spear phishing

standalone

Adjective; when used after a verb, stand alone is two words

Example:
A standalone computer; they stand alone.

SMTP

spam

No caps

startup

strapline

Not strap line

SUSE

system requirements

Use this phrase when referring to software. If referring to hardware use “technical specifications.”

technical specifications

Use this phrase when referring to hardware. If referring to software use “system requirements.”